Incandescent burner.



No. 638,768. Patented Dec. l2, I899. W. J. SMART.

INCANDESCENT BURNER.

(Application filed Aug. 11, 1897.) (No Model.)

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\VALTER J. SMART, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEXV JERSEY.

INCANDESCENT BURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,768, dated December12, 1899.

Application filed August 11, 1897. Serial No. 647,843. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER J. SMART, of South Orange, New Jersey, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Incandescent Burners,of which the following is a specification.

This improvement appertains to that class of burners in which a burningmixture of air and combustible vapor or gas is utilized for heating toincandescence a so-called mantle of non-combustible material forluminiferous purposes, or, if the mantle is dispensed with, as a sourceof heat. Burners of this sort have been made adapted to "aporize and usea liquid hydrocarbon, as well as others in which gas is the combustible,among which latter may be instanced the Welsbach burner.- In burners ofthe former class the hydrocarbon is commonly fed to the burner bygravity or by an initial artificial pressure or by capillary attraction.A preliminary heating of the vaporizing chamber or tubes must, however,be efiected to secure the initial vaporization of the hydrcarbon and theestablishment of the flame, the preliminary heating being attained by asmall temporary hydrocarbon flame directed against the vaporizer.

The present improvement is directed to the cheap and economicalconstruction of an incandescent burner and its fittings, and a burner,furthermore, which is adapted to burn either a vaporized hydrocabon orgas or a mixture of both. It is designed also in the use of the devicethat the preliminary heating of the vaporizer may be elfected either bya gas-flame or by a temporary flame fed by alcohol or by'otherhydrocarbon.

It is highly essential to the satisfactory use of a hydrocarbon with amantle that vaporization, previous to ad mixture with air, should bethorough and complete; otherwise the mantle is blackened and theluminosity decreased. The location of the chamber through which thehydrcarbon passes and in which its vaporization is effected should forthis reason be in the most highly heated region of the lamp, where amaximum of'heat is available and can be utilized in vaporization. Tothis end the hydrocarbon in the present burner is caused to flow for aconsiderable distance through the highly-heated region within themantle, adding not only to the effectiveness ment being subsequentlydistinguished inclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is mainly a vertical section ofsuch a burner. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a cross-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

Extending laterally from the body A of the burner is a pipe A, the lowerend of which is threaded or otherwise suitably formed to couple theburner to a valve-controlled gasoutlet. The passage through this pipeopens out into a hollow body A through an aperture a, delivering the gasupwardly. The pipe or conduit for leading the hydrcarbon to the burneris shown at B communicating with a passage in a piece hon the body A.The passage in this piece is controlled by a valve B.

The hydrocarbon is fed through the pipe or conduit 13 in any desiredmanner, either by its own weight or under the influence of compressedair, and passes through the piece 7) into the vaporizer O. Thisvaporizer or chamber inwhich vaporization is efiected here comprises anascending limb cand a descending limb c, coupled at their upper ends byan apertured block 0 placing the two limbs in communication. A post D iserected from the block 0 and serves for the support of the usual mantleB, designed when incandescent to be the source of illumination.

It will be noticed that the majorportion of the vaporizer G is locatedin the highly-heated region inclosed by the mantle, a region of hightemperative, and consequently Well adapted to secure the effectivevaporization of the hydrocarbon. At its lower extremity the limb c isbent upwardly and provided with a vapor-orifice d. Means have also beenrepresented for throttling or regulating the size of this orifice andfor facilitating the cleaning of the same should it become accidentallyobstructed. A tapering rod cl passes upwardly through the lower portionof the body A in line with the orifice cl, into which it may beprotruded or from which it may be withdrawn. Preferably its connectionwith the body of the burner will embrace a stuffing-box 61 E representsopenings in the shell of the body A for the inflow of air to form acombustible mixture with the vapor or gas issuing from their respectiveorifices.

In some cases it may not be convenient to use gas or the same may not beaccessible for the preliminary heating of the vaporizer, or, again, itmay be desirable to use the burner in a portable lamp. Under thesecircumstances a preliminary heating-flame is formed from burning alcoholor other hydrocarbon, with which a mass of wicking or other absorbentmaterial F is impregnated. This material is held in an annular cup orreceptacle f, encircling a cylindrical shell f, at the upper end of thebody A of the burner and preferably removable therefrom. From the outeredge of this cup there projects inwardly a cover-plate f which isarranged at a distance above the inner edge of the cup sufficient toleave a circular space for the ignition of the alcohol, 850. The inneredge of this cover is carried upward in the form of a lip f affordingmeans for steadying the base of the mantle D. The cover-plate isprovided with a small opening f for the introduction of the combustibleand a match or other igniting means. The means that 1 prefer to use isthe so-called match-gun, a frictional device in which an ordinary matchmay be inserted and which may be readily actuated in any position inwhich the match may be placed. This being thrust into the opening f andoperated establishes the flame within the cover f G is a plate providedwith a number of perforations or openings and located at the upper endof the shell f. It serves not only to secure a more intimate mixture ofthe ingredients of the inflammable mixture, but also to maintain theflame above it in proper relation to the mantle.

It is evident that the device as thus constructed is adapted to the useof hydrocarbon vapor, or gas alone, mixed with air, or to the use of amixture of hydrocarbon vapor and gas, with air. This latter form ofcombustible it may on certain occasions be desirable to use-as, forinstance, when the gas is of poor quality and the hydrocarbon accessiblefor the purpose of increasing the calorific power of the mixture andenhancing the incandescence of the mantle. Such a construction andarrangement of parts as will permit of this mode of operation I deem tobe novel and constitute a feature of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I consider as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an incandescent burner, the combination of a mantle, aburner-body, means for body having common openings for the inflow of airfor admixture with both the vaporized hydrocarbon and the gas enteringthrough said gas=outlet, previous to ignition, substantially asspecified.

2. In an incandescent burner, the combination of a mantle, aburner-body, means for attaching the burner-body to a gas-outlet, avaporizer comprising independent ascending and descending limbs locatedside by side exteriorly of each other within the space in closed by themantle, adjustable means for throttling the vapor as it issues throughthe vapor-orifice, and a pipe or conduit for delivering a hydrocarbon tothe vaporizer, the burner-body having common openings for the inflow ofair for admixture with both the Vaporized hydrocarbon and thegasentering through said gas-outlet, previous to ignition, substantially asspecified.

3. In an incandescent burner, the combination of a burner-body, acylindrical shell at the upper portion of the body, a perforated plateextending across the shell, and a receptacle encircling the shell forholding an absorbent material, substantially as specified.

4. In an incandescent burner, the combination of a burner-body, acylindrical shell at the upper portion of the body, a perforated plateextending across the shell, and a re ceptacle for absorbent materialencircling the shell, open to the space within the latter but having itsupper end closed exterior to the shell, substantially as specified.

5. In an incandescent burner the combination of a burner-body, acylindrical shell at the upper portion of the body, a perforated plateextending across the shell, and a removable receptacle for absorbentmaterial encircling the shell, open to the space within the latter buthaving its upper end closed exterior to the shell, substantially asspecified. I

6. In an incandescent burner, the combination of a mantle, a vaporizer,a receptacle below the mantle from which a flame is fed for apreliminary heating of the vaporizer, and a cover for the outerperipheral portion of the receptacle having an opening, whereby theflame from the receptacle is confined to the space within the mantle,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER J. SMART.

\Vitnesses:

WALDRON WILLIAMS, F. L. HAGEN.

